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Talk about a good state to activate in! I miss Minnesota. I think I need to plan a POTA trip up there, especially a place like International Falls or Duluth. It can take a lot of patience trying to pull people out of the noise floor, but what a feeling when you get it done. Don't wait, get outside and play radio! I guarantee it will be your new favorite thing! Skål and 73!

Right?? Lucky dog. That's the second time he's been out there running around when I've been there. I've never seen such a friendly and docile dog before. He doesn't mess with anything, doesn't chew on anything. Just walks around and chills in the shade.

I do have to say that the guy selling radios on the corner who told me batteries for portable were optional.....I want my $20.00 back because I think he was wrong...... just a feeling...... Man, you have to really watch out for that last contact. (I hear he talks to satellites and may be able to control them....😳😬) Thanks, Rob!!! 73!

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio He has so many antennas people ask him all the time if he is talking to aliens. I think he is🤣

​@@W0CYC-HamRadioEndeavorsThat's all well and good, but does he know if any of them are single? Asking for a friend.....

Thank you so much for that. I cannot express how grateful I am for the kind words. I'm glad my video helped in your research and gave you some entertainment as well. You can't go wrong with either of the LEFS antennas. They are both very solid in performance. I'll definitely keep at it. I'll have quite a few new videos coming soon. Thank you again. 73!

That's exactly the point! 😁

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio 73

Jeff! How're ya now? 😁 Man I found that show on Hulu about two weeks ago and already finished it. It was so freaking good! Bonus that it was filmed in and takes place in Ontario. I used to go fishing up there with my dad every year before he died. Great people up there. 73!

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio I’ve seen them all twice or three times except for the last season cause I lost Hulu in my divorce 🤣 and having problems setting up my own account online. I need to call them and square things away with them.

You know, I might just look at those cases myself for a new radio I haven't done a lot with yet. For the rails, your going to like them. They're very handy to have on a rig and makes it much easier to move around if nothing else. It's their link, I don't get anything out of it except for showing a good product others might find useful. Thank you for watching!

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio I use pelican stuff as well. I have a mixture of both depending on application. My drone and camera gear are all in Nanuk cases.

It's like you wrote the video description! 😁 That's pretty much what my thoughts on it are too. There are areas to the West are far less populated especially out where you are, in Wyoming, Nevada, etc. So that makes perfect sense. And most of Iowa and Kansas are in my skip zone for the most part. Just interesting to see the results play out. You're going to enjoy that antenna. I'm thinking about adding the four additional NVIS elements to mine just to see what happens. Thanks for watching! 73!

Man, last night was kind of tough. 20m had a lot of noise in it. The signals were weaker than usual, it seemed like. I can usually pick out a couple of call signs if a bunch come at once, but that was a lot harder than normal. Even with the band conditions, it seemed like the propagation was not favorable to the South of me. I don't remember hearing any from Texas at all, and most of the time, there's at least a couple in there. 40m might have been the ticket. I made a solid NVIS contact with W0CYC from his QTH right before I left, and he was an S8. He's directly SE of me near STL and most of the time he's a lot weaker. I might just try activating on 40 the next time I'm out if the conditions are about the same. I almost bet when I edit my video from last night I might be able to pick your call sign out. That mic seems to pick things up off the radio a lot better than my ears do. I think my next one will probably be in Nebraska Wednesday or Thursday. 73, Frank!

Oh! Yeah the dog. That's what we'll call it. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio 😂😂

My buddy back? You mean my call sign alzheimer's? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Heck, I had to go try. It's not every day one of your buddies drives two states away to play radio. Just every other month, it seems like. 😆 73 Rob!

Thanks man! A couple of those were tough. You would think I'd realize I have a radio with tricks up it's sleeve.....but apparently not. 😂

Thank you! It was really nice down there. I think I might just have to go back in the fall or winter.

Thank you!

I can safely promise you won't regret it. Either the 8010 or the 4010. Both are absolutely solid. I'm glad my video helped you make a decision, and thank you, seriously. Comments like this truly keep help me to stay motivated. Hey, Chameleon. You see me out here selling your antennas? ........kidding!!! 😁😇🫰

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio I’m going to go with the 4010. They both look like awesome quality and I always like supporting American made 🇺🇸 not a problem man! Haha! If you help sell a few nothing wrong in that maybe they will send you some free gear 👍👍 73’s Kf0ldg

Yeah you can't go wrong with either of them. I like the size of the 4010 and I've got a couple of places I want to activate that are hike in only, so that's the one I'm going to take with me. Just don't forget some adapters for the coax unless you plan on getting the RG-316 which has BNC on both ends. I'm going to be making some more videos on the 4010 here pretty soon for the dipole side of the antenna, but last Saturday I was distracted by something with the Alpha FMJ. Antennas are just plain fun. ​@@johnf853

Ha! Almost, that was a blast except for my usual technical difficulties, lol. I'm glad you got in there and thanks again for the very kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying my shenanigans. 🤣

Thanks man! I can't wait to do it again. We need to find another good one.

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio Absolutely!!!

Man, thank you. I really appreciate that! I want to say that video was around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. It was 90 the day before and in the 50s when I shot this one, so there was a lot of overcast. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll wish you'd done it sooner. Nothing beats being outdoors with a radio and talking all over the country and the world. 73!

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio thanks for the reply! It looked pretty overcast for sure. I’m just watching some videos and hunting from my qth and seeing what other people do and maybe take something from everyone and go from there. Nice video as always 73!

​@johnf853 That's definitely a good way to do it. I watched K8RMD videos and a few others for a good bit and listened on the radio before my first activation. Stick around and you'll see what not to do. 😆 Good luck!

Well hello there! Thank you so much for the compliment! I was definitely not expecting that, and I really appreciate it. Thank you for the suggestion, as well. I don't normally operate on the WARC bands unless it's 17m on a rare occasion but I'll give the CAH WARC a look! Thank you again, and 73!

18m, the secret band "they" don't want you to know about.......crap. 🤣 73 my friend!

That's a good point that I didn't even think about. The next time I have it out with me, I'm going to give 80m a look. I rarely ever operate on 80, so I didn't even think to check that band with my analyzer. That makes perfect sense. Thank you.

Thank you! 73!

That's good to know!

Absolutely, and I've let it collect dust for far too long.

Awe, don't worry little pup. I was way out in the country. That's a common thing around here and the last I would ever be scared of.

Thanks man! I'm trying to get more creative so my videos are more fun to watch.

Thank you. 😆 That was a lot of fun to record and put together.

That was a ton of fun! With the time I had, I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with the other wire since I had not used it by itself. I figured that was the first and easiest thing to eliminate. After Independence Day, maybe this weekend, I'm going to put full focus on the dipole setup with the 4010. Thank you for watching again and sticking with me!

You're going to have a blast. POTA is hands down my favorite activity within the hobby. I need to get my 857 out more and dive deeper into the settings. That's something I've never quite done. I'll also post an update once I pick an external speaker. Thanks for watching!

That's definitely going to be something I try. For this one, I just wanted to see if it would work at all in a hasty setup using the ground stakes I normally have with me. I'm going to take some more paracord with me the next time and find a different spot. This one was great for just using an EFHW, not so much for a dipole the way the trees were. Thank you for the suggestion!

Thank you for watching!

Absolutely. That's not a bad idea at all. I've got a multitool and pliers with me whenever I'm out operating. Just happened to briefly forget I had the multitool at the time. 73!

Thanks, brother! I'm getting somewhat closer. Tonight, I tested the new wire on the antenna in the EFHW config. It worked just like the original wire. So that part is eliminated. Seemed like the next best and most logical step. To the drawing board!!

Oh sure, just outright tell me you're zooming through my videos and single handedly affecting my watch times. 🤣 KIDDING! I don't know, Bruce, I think I might be catching up. At least on video. For some reason, when I hit record, the English language and general aptitude and knowledge just go right out the window. Thank you for sticking around and enjoying my videos. I really do appreciate it.

😀😀

My apologies. My coffee hasn't kicked in yet this morning. Could you be more specific?

It's comments like this that give me the motivation and drive to keep doing this. It is very much appreciated. Thank you and 73!

It's going to take me a minute to see your new new call sign and put it together with you and your channel 😂 I'm glad you got it though! That's awesome!

Dude, you and me both! I wish I could buy that place. That cabin was beautiful, especially on the inside. I could live in that thing very comfortably. Thank you for watching man, I really appreciate your support and friendship. 73!!

Thank you very much for taking the time. I really appreciate it. There will certainly be more updates to come. Honestly, my next step is to switch the wire that came with the antenna out for the new one and use it in the EFHW config, and see if it isn't an issue with the new wire. Seems like a good first step to me. 73!

My joke about "all three of you" was just that. I know my humor isn't for everyone. You can certainly fast forward through CZcams videos though. Thank you as always for putting up with me on camera. 😉

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio oh, I got the humor. But I was serious, i watch and enjoy your program.

@KC2BKM You have a very good point. The private property aspect is what made me not want to just sit on the deck and activate. The boundary lines on the WMA website were likely accurate, but who knows. I think I could safely say that down by the water where I did operate was well within the boundary. Granted, in hindsight, down there could probably be considered private property too, but I kind of doubt that because it was within the Dardanelle boundary. I wanted to make 100% sure of that before I even attempted it, especially knowing I would be on camera for it. I'm sure it could still be debated though, and thinking about it now, I should probably just go somewhere else if it's that close in the future. As far as my "cooking video" and propane.....lol. Charcoal, propane...eh.... I'll cook on anything. I do prefer charcoal, however, my joking around about propane mainly comes from being told that I sound like a "pro-propane" cartoon character since I was a teenager. I love my Weber kettle grill, but I've used propane too. I've actually tried the Montreal seasoning and it was good, but way too salty for me. I hope to catch you on the air as well my friend. Thanks for watching and the comment. 73!

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio Ya i think it applies to your personal residence not camp grounds. But ya better safe then sorry. But I sure aint the guy to ask lol. Just putting in my wooden nickel.

​@KC2BKM Always better safe than sorry. I'm obviously not the guy with the answer either lol. This was kind of a one off from normal. I would hope anyone would know they can't activate anything from their living room....but sadly I've heard of that happening lately. I guess lazy is going to be lazy. Keep some of those wooden nickels man. The way things are looking lately, they may end up coming in handy.

They said send in the clowns, and that clown went full send off of the end of a trapeze with no net. The sirens were a nice touch. I think if I'd been in an accident like that and sirens were already there.....which was a dead giveaway this was bogus.....I wouldn't be worried about trolling a POTA activation. Just me. 🤷‍♂️

Good deal! May Hank Hill be with you. 🥩🍄‍🟫🧅🧄 I just got done grilling a couple of ribeyes and a filet mignon. 😋

Thank you! 73! By the way, you share the same last name as my mother's side.

@@KC0JH_HAMateur_Radio we may be distant cousins

Man that ain't no joke. This one was hilarious and I don't care who says different. Good to have you in the log again the other day buddy! 73!

I hear ya. I absolutely can't stand myself on camera and it pretty much goes against my character and introverted nature to do it in the first place; But I can't deny that I enjoy making videos and the learning process it involves. Thank you for the comment, sincerely. With the dislikes this has been getting I needed that! 😆 73!